WELLINGTON RUGBY UNION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVI, Issue 44, 20 August 1908, Page 2

WELLINGTON RUGBY UNION.

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. PLAYERS AND REFEREES. The weekly meeting of the Manage* ment Committee of the Wellington Rug* by Union was attended by Messrs. S. y., Brown (in the chair), J. Burns, J. Sweeney, F. Alpe, W. Perry, E. 0., Hales, J. F. O'Sullivan, and W. G. Talbot (secretary). A complaint was received from the St., John's Club that for the third time this season they had been inconvenienced by the late arrival of the referee. It was decided to forward the letter to the Referees' Association. The Wellington Club also complained that their third-class team journeyed to Petone on Saturday to play Kia Ora, bufc neither the Kia Ora team nor the referee turned up. It was decided to write to the defaulting club asking them to show cause why they should not be mada liable for the 15a expenses of the town team, and a fine of ss. An enquiry was held into the action of the secretary of the Melroso Club in, regard to the referee in tJie Melrose-Pe-tone match. It was stated that the secretary had told the refetee appointed for the match that, if he acted, several members of the Melrose team would not play, and that probably there would be trouble » on the field. Both parties attended and stated their cases. It was decided that the explanation was satisfactory and that no further action should be taken. PLAYERS SUSPENDED. The referee in the Petone-Kia Ora junior match played last Saturday reported having ordered oil the field a Pttone player, named G. F. Fraser, it was alleged, for Tucking an opponent. Fraser attended the meeting and denied the allegation. After- hearing the case the committee suspended him for twelve months from the date of the offence. A Selwyn player named M'Coll, who was ordered off by the referee in ths Selwyn-Petone fifth-class match last week for persistently handling an opponent not in possession of the ball, was suspended until he appears befora the union. SELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVES. Mr. Burns moved that in the senior" and junior grades all clnb selection committees shoidd be requested to forward to the Management Committee the names of players considered by them as having shown representative f*orm. Mr. Burns then gave a detailed explanation of the method suggested, and attacked the present system of selection.. In his opinion, the late selection committee had done more harm to Rugby, than was imagined in &ome quarters, and had 'driven a few prominent players into the professional ranks. The professional movement was no bogey, and must be treated seriously. If amateur players could not get recognition of their qualifications in their own ranks, they would go where they could get better treatment. The trouble was not the fault of the selectors, but of the method of selection. The last two teams selected to represent Wellington showed that the system of selection was a miserable failure. Mr. O'Sullivan considered the motion as practically an expression of no-con-fidence in the selectors. Mr. Hales thought some good might ' be done if the matter was brought up at the meeting of delegates. The motion was lost, only the mover voting in its favour. OTHER MATTERS. It was resolved that the final of the Junior Championship between Petone and Kia Ora should be played on the Kia Ora ground. The V.M.C.A. and St. John's teams were granted permission to play a match at th© Athletic Park on sth September. Several house matches were sanctioned.